Americans are eating more salt than ever, despite warnings by federal health officials that most U.S. adults consume too much sodium in their diets.
Research presented at the American Society for Nutrition Experimental Biology conference in Boston this week shows U.S. salt intake has been on an upward trend over the past decade — increasing by 63 mg/day every two years from 2001 until 2010.
The study, commissioned by the Tate & Lyle food-ingredient company, suggests many Americans are eating more salt than they need or should, raising their risk of blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. The study analyzed information from the What We Eat in America/National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
The results showed the largest source of salt in the American is grain products (such as breads, salty snacks); meat, poultry, fish and mixtures; vegetables; and milk and milk products. Sodium intake from meat, poultry, and fish increased the most while sodium from grains remained consistent.
"This research shows us that despite public health efforts to decrease sodium intake, actual intake has continued to increase over the last 10 years and solutions to help decrease dietary intake are greatly needed," said lead researcher Victor Fulgoni, with Nutrition Impact LLC, a food and nutrition consulting company.
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